Wiseguy: The 25th Anniversary Edition

Nicholas Pileggi

Sep 2011 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Nicholas Pileggi’s vivid, unvarnished, journalistic chronicle of the life of Henry Hill—the working-class Brooklyn kid who knew from age twelve that “to be a wiseguy was to own the world,” who grew up to live the highs and lows of the mafia gangster’s life—has been hailed as “the best book ever written on organized crime” (Cosmopolitan).

This is the true-crime bestseller that was the basis for Martin Scorsese’s film masterpiece GoodFellas, which brought to life the violence, the excess, the families, the wives and girlfriends, the drugs, the payoffs, the paybacks, the jail time, and the Feds…with Henry Hill’s crackling narration drawn straight out of Wiseguy and overseeing all the unforgettable action. “Nonstop...absolutely engrossing” (The New York Times Book Review).

Read it and experience the secret life inside the mob—from one who’s lived it.

Ratings and reviews

I enjoyed the book, however unlike many other books, I was glad when it was finished. Henry Hill led a life of crime that would have most of us in a constant mental whirl, - so many schemes running simultaneously. Lacking is descriptive detail of the book's many characters. I recommend watching the movie "Goodfellas" first.

I loved this book. I loved the movie "GoodFellas" too, but I am so glad I finally sat down to read this one. Very engrossing from page 1.

An amazing book that was turned into one of the top films of all-time and an instant classic portrayal of a lifetime in the world of the Mafia that is in a class of its own. Fans of Goodfellas will have trouble putting this book down, especially with the extra content Wiseguys is packed with about Hill's life that didn't make it into the final cut of Martin Scorsese's mob masterpiece.

About the author

Nicholas Pileggi is the bestselling author of Wiseguy, Casino, and Blye: Private Eye. He lives in New York.